what are the non-binary uniform rules?
Martin B. asked a question to Sarah R.
Category: General
Date asked: Monday, July 18, 2022
Last reviewed: Tuesday, July 19, 2022
LCoH Ashley O.
Recruiting Co-Ordinator at ACC Norwich
Hi Martin and thanks for your question,
Most of the Uniform in the British Army is not gender specific, and so there should be no change for non binary personnel too.
For the small times where there is a difference, the rules would be simply that you adhere to the rules of the uniform you are wearing. For example if you are wearing a skirt as part of your uniform, then you should wear it in the correct way, and likewise if you are wearing trousers you should wear them in the way directed in army policy.
There may be some teething problems with the policy surrounding all of this, since the Army, like most of society, is only just moving with the times to cater to different genders and what they need, but if you have a concern about anything or don't feel comfortable wearing a certain piece of clothing or being referred to in a certain way, you will be given other options and your needs will be heard to make sure you are being fulfilled and comfortable.
I hope this helps, and if there are any more questions then feel free to ask and i will help where i can.
Tuesday, July 19, 2022
Martin B.
Thanks for the reply to this. I was more interested in whether, for the more formal uniforms, No 2 dress particularly, there was a guidance for which uniform a non binary officer would be required to wear. For example I know that female officers are expected to wear skirts and have different footwear, headwear and jacket for their No2 uniform.
I assume a Non-binary serviceperson would have to pick all of one type of uniform, either male or female and wouldn't be able to use elements from both.
I've seen a couple of articles about the US armed forces where some decisions for this type of thing are dictated by the gender assigned at birth rather than the identity of the person.
Tuesday, July 19, 2022
Sarah R.
SQMS Accomodation NCO
Hello again,
I have answered a question like this before and will post the link here: https://british-army.career-inspiration.com/app/discussions/view/94222/can-you-be-non-binary-in-the-army-and-will-you-be-forced-to-wear-parade-dress-clothes-you-re-not-comfortable-in
It is a question that hasn't come up much but has been looked at and the best people to ask is the Army LGBT+ Network: armylgbt.org.uk
Tuesday, July 19, 2022
Martin B.
Thank you Sarah, weirdly I saw this post after I'd posted the first question but I don't believe it was hosted here so I wasn't sure of validity of the response. Thank you for taking the time to link me up.
Tuesday, July 19, 2022
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